Iran has fallen from 141st on the list of 180 countries to 168th – one of the most marked declines.

Countries where the political and security environment is particularly volatile, such as Yemen, Iran and Iraq rank at the bottom of the list. These countries face the challenge of establishing solid and transparent public institutions, with appropriate mechanisms for accountability: the essential elements for preventing and fighting corruption. Where these are absent, any kind of success is very difficult.

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Regional Highlights: Middle East and North Africa

With only six countries scoring 5 or above (out of 10), and 13 countries scoring below 5, the perception of corruption remains a serious problem in the Middle East and North Africa.

The poor results of the 2009 Corruptions Perception Index (CPI) reflect how conflict and political turmoil in the region seriously hamper the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts. The threat to political and institutional infrastructures partly explains the governance gap in the region while other factors such as lack of transparency, insecurity and oil wealth continue to fuel corruption.

Countries where the political and security environment is particularly volatile, such as Yemen, Iran and Iraq rank at the bottom of the list. These countries face the challenge of establishing solid and transparent public institutions, with appropriate mechanisms for accountability: the essential elements for preventing and fighting corruption. Where these are absent, any kind of success is very difficult.

Other countries, such as Morocco, Egypt and Lebanon are still perceived as highly corrupt despite the fact that corruption is openly addressed as a principal obstacle to development and the issue of enhancing integrity and accountability in the public and the private sectors is now being addressed. (This is also true for Palestine, although it is not included in the 2009 CPI.)

The 2009 index shows improvement in the scores of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Jordan. It remains to be seen whether this is due to increased political will to fight corruption or whether the negative effects of corruption are being masked by large surpluses, particularly in the oil and gas-rich Gulf states, which are fuelling rapid economic development. In the case of the UAE, one explanation for an improved score may be the increase in corruption cases
involving high-level executives, including UAE citizens, as well as the strengthening of the country’s Financial Audit Department.

The negative effects of the financial crisis have underscored the importance of improving governance across the region.

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Corruption threatens global economic recovery, greatly challenges countries in conflict

Complete List, FAQ and Methodology

Source: transparency.org